They're so Southern, in fact, that for most of us born in colder climates, we're like Joe Pesci in "My Cousin Vinny": "Sure, I've heard of grits. I've just never actually SEEN a grit before."

Neither had I, until my senior year at Dunedin High School. As the final days before graduation ticked off, the school treated my senior class to breakfast one morning. On the plate with bacon and eggs and toast was this glop of white, grainy stuff with an Olympic-size pool's worth of molten butter on it.

Turns out, the grits were the best part of the meal!

Though a Southern breakfast staple as far back as anyone can remember, grits nevertheless long have been in the "they-also-served" category, more of a second-fiddle food — this despite being one of the first foods American Indians greeted European colonists with back in the 1600s.

But the food's low profile could be changing. Some years ago, the culinary press started writing about the glory of grits. Top-notch chefs began experimenting with the little ground corn that could, and grits suddenly ended up in haute cuisine concoctions.

Grits even were a featured item at last month's Taste of Ocala; Al Ellatter at Brick City Catering served them up in champagne glasses with various savory garnishes.

"But I'm not sure Ocala is ready for that yet," he said later.

Or, maybe we are.

Opened recently is True Grits, a Southern soul-fusion spot garnished with a liberal sprinkling of The Duke, aka John Wayne. It's in the old Coffee Kettle at 331 NW 20th St. at the intersection of North Magnolia Avenue. It opened softly a couple of weeks ago; the official grand opening is Friday.

But make no mistake about it: despite pulled pork, bison burgers, chicken-fried steak and mama's meatloaf on the menu, grits are king here.

"My mother got me started at a young age," said True Grits executive chef B.J. Jacobs, who hails from a tiny town outside of Durham, N.C. "She got me into the kitchen at a young age. Whatever grew out in the garden, and grits were cheap, that's what we'd eat."

So it's not surprising that Jacobs, who's soft-spoken and says "yes, sir" or "no, sir" a lot, has a double ration of grits recipes at his command. There are 11 different styles on his menu, among them things like shrimp and grits, black and bleu, spinach and feta, country ham and red-eye gravy and sweet potato pie grits — and more where they came from for specials.

He may even whip up some Thai grits. "They have this balance of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and spicy. … Thai grits? Yeah, we could do that," he said.

True Grits is not ONLY grits. The board boasts an array of breakfast and lunch picks fit for a Duke.

In fact, one is named for his gritty Rooster Cogburn character in "True Grit," for which Wayne won his only Oscar; the Cogburn drunken chicken is beer brined and glazed with a honey barbecue sauce, and is truly scrumptious.

Though he was trained at Le Cordon Bleu Academy and spent much of his earlier career in country club kitchens in Orlando — including Tiger Woods' home club — and North Carolina, the inspiration for much of Jacobs' creations come from the Tar Heel State.

He calls his cooking soul fusion, a blending of Southern soul and country comfort.

Moreover, he feels right at home here.

"My father used to watch John Wayne movies all the time, 24/7," Jacobs said. "I can recite all the lines in my sleep."

True Grits is a production of Louie Wise III — "The III helps distinguish us; all three of us are still alive," he said — one of many under his Intec Facilities Solutions umbrella. He said he spent about six weeks, night and day recently, renovating the old Coffee Kettle and getting it ready for True Grits.

"Ocala has always lacked," Wise said, eateries that consistently produce good, flavorful food. "We saw this as an opportunity to enhance that, and this northwest side of town doesn't really have a good sit-down place. This area's clientele used to be old Ocala."

For the moment, True Grits is open only for breakfast and lunch. It is open seven days a week. Wise wants to give True Grits a chance to establish itself before deciding if it should open for dinner as well.

And the tie-in with John Wayne? It was irresistible, he added. "Well, his real first name was Marion. We try to pay respect here for what he did."

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